West Bengal tops list of states in terms of GDP growth rate: Amit Mitra

West Bengal is at the top of the list of states for GDP growth rate, achieving 12.58 per cent during 2018-19, state Finance Minister Amit Mitra said on Saturday.

The feat was attained by the state at a time when the country is going through a "deep recession", he said.

"I am delighted to say that as per the Government of India's ministry of statistics and programme implementation just-published table on GDP growth of states in 2018-19 West Bengal's growth is the highest in the country at 12.58 per cent," Mitra told newsmen here.

Bengal is followed by Andhra Pradesh which has recorded GDP growth of 11.02, Bihar with 10.53 and Telangana 10.5 per cent respectively. Goa is at the bottom of the list with 0.47 per cent growth rate, he said.

"We are holding the baton and moving forward while the rest of the country is going through serious recession," Mitra added.

He also alleged that the Union government was "paralysed" and threatening industrialists with arrests, if they fail to meet the prescribed 2-per cent revenue spend on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

"India is going through a deep recession with highest unemployment in 45 years, the GDP growth lowest in the last five years... There is a growing fear psychosis among the industrialists in the country," he said.

The state's finance minister claimed that investments in new projects plunged to a 15-year low in the quarter ended June.

"New projects announced in the June quarter is 81 per cent lower than the March quarter, and 87 per cent lower than the same period a year ago," he said, citing a Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) report.

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